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Museum Archives

The Museum Archives collection dates to the creation of the Field Museum of Natural History and its emergence from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. This collection is comprised of the administrative records of museum departments, museum material culture and the scientific papers of staff members from 1893 to the present. Its holdings encompass nearly 1,800 linear feet of paper material and original museum motion picture films.

Gantz Family Collections Center (Science and Education)

Museum Archives Collections

Berthold Laufer (1874-1934), curator of Asian Anthropology from 1908 to 1934, was a pioneer in the study of Asian cultures. With a doctorate in oriental languages from the University of Leipzig, Laufer was a sinologist who was fluent in more than a dozen languages, many of which were non Indo-Eurpoean. Polymath and polyglot, his interests seemed unbounded and his linguistic skills unequaled.

The Moving Image Collection documents the museum’s involvement in scientific explorations, experiences with other cultures, and public education. The Moving Image Collection was generated by the institution's collecting, exhibiting and teaching activities. A significant portion of the Moving Image Collection was created during the 1920's and 30's when the Museum sponsored many expeditions around the world. Expedition members used film to document their activities and the daily life of people they encountered.